Black bear carcass found near Patrick's Point with paws removed, case under investigation

by Marissa Papanek

Jenni Morris, @deadwildlife

TRINIDAD, Calif. —

A black bear carcass was found discarded next to the road in Patrick's Point last week with all four of its paws removed, and the crime is under investigation, according to the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).

Following an investigation and necropsy, CDFW officials said they think the bear was killed when it was hit by a car, and that someone subsequently used a rope to drag the carcass to the side of the road. Then, according to officials, either that person or another person cut all four of the paws off.

On Sept. 2, photos of the bear (above) were posted to Instagram by a user named Jenni Morris, AKA "deadwildlife," along with the caption: "I really really hate people sometimes. I get it, animals die all the time, but then to steal parts of the body? Noose around the neck? I called and reported this."

She described what she found to North Coast News: "There was rope around the neck and all four feet had been poached. The smell was pretty awful and it was there a few days, but has been removed," Morris said.

After she contacted wildlife officials, they collected the animal, which was lying alongside Highway 101 southbound just south of the Patrick's Point exit.

"We see this on an all-too-regular basis," Captain Patrick Foy, a law enforcement officer with the CDFW, told North Coast News. "There are no legal means of possessing roadkill, even if you have a hunting license."

According to Foy, taking parts of an animal that was killed by a car is a violation of Section 2002 of the California Fish and Game code.

"It's like when someone hits a deer [with a car] and takes the antlers," Foy said.

Foy said officers are investigating, but have little to go off of. He encourages anyone with information to call CalTips at 888-334-2258.